This tipsheet, produced by ATTRA NCAT, reviews botanical control options for leaf miners, covering quassia bark, chili pepper extract, neem, and walnut leaf tincture. It summarizes research on each botanical's effectiveness at killing larvae or deterring egg-laying adults, and provides practical preparation guidance, offering growers low-risk alternatives to synthetic pesticides for managing this widespread crop pest.

This guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, explains how microbial inoculants — including rhizobia, mycorrhizae, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, and endophytes — work to enhance soil health and plant productivity. It reviews the gap between promising greenhouse research and inconsistent field results, identifies key factors limiting effectiveness, and offers practical recommendations for selecting, applying, and supporting inoculants.

This guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, examines how nutrients move through pasture ecosystems via the rhizosphere, soil food web, and ‘liquid carbon pathway.’ It covers the roles of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, earthworms, and livestock in cycling nutrients, and outlines three key management practices — tall-grass grazing, high stock density, and compost application — for building productive, regenerative pasture soils.

This tipsheet, produced by ATTRA NCAT, profiles pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) as a cover crop for hot, humid, and subtropical regions, drawing on field trials in South Texas. It covers the crop's nitrogen fixation capacity, phosphorus uptake efficiency, drought tolerance, organic matter contribution, and weed suppression properties, while noting planting recommendations and rotation considerations for vegetable growers.

This guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, helps certified organic producers understand and navigate the risks of inadvertent contamination from genetically modified crops and prohibited pesticides. It outlines relevant National Organic Program regulations, preventative practices growers should document, and the economic consequences of contamination.

This tipsheet, produced by ATTRA NCAT, profiles scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) as a potential cover crop for hot and humid regions, drawing on field trials in South Texas. It covers the crop's nitrogen fixation capacity, organic matter contribution, weed suppression potential, and water requirements.

This guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, describes common soil health assessment methods including total and active organic matter, microbial respiration, aggregate stability, the Haney soil test, and physical indicators such as bulk density and water infiltration. It explains the biology underlying soil health, outlines farming practices that improve it, and provides a practical comparison of test methods.

This practical guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, surveys low-to-moderate-cost soil moisture monitoring tools and methods for irrigators, covering direct soil inspection, tensiometers, electrical resistance sensors, and dielectric devices. It explains how soils hold water, addresses sensor placement, discusses infiltration measurement, and briefly covers high-precision techniques, helping producers optimize irrigation decisions, conserve water, and protect soil health.

This tipsheet, produced by ATTRA NCAT, reviews botanical control options for spider mites, covering essential oils, cilantro, aloe vera, bugleweed, and mimosa extracts. It summarizes research on each botanical's effectiveness, provides practical preparation and application guidance, and advises growers to combine treatments with environmental manipulation — such as increasing humidity and reducing plant stress — to achieve best results.

This tipsheet, produced by ATTRA NCAT, reviews botanical control options for stink bugs, covering mint, garlic, lemon verbena, thyme, and oregano. It summarizes research on each botanical's effectiveness as a repellent or contact pesticide against eggs, nymphs, and adults, and provides practical application rates and preparation guidance.

This guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, addresses internal parasite management in sheep and goats through pasture management strategies. It explains the parasite life cycle and the environmental, animal, and forage factors that influence infection risk, and outlines practical techniques including rotational grazing, stocking rate management, multispecies grazing, bioactive forages, and targeted nutrition to reduce parasite burdens.

This tipsheet, produced by ATTRA NCAT, profiles velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens var. utilis) as a cover crop for hot and humid subtropical regions, drawing on field trials in South Texas. It covers the crop's nitrogen fixation capacity, organic matter contribution, weed suppression potential, and soil moisture requirements.

This tipsheet, produced by ATTRA NCAT, reviews botanical control options for whiteflies, covering Santa Maria feverfew, neem, guinea hen weed, and soapberry extracts. It summarizes research on each botanical's effectiveness against eggs, nymphs, and adults, provides preparation guidance, and cautions growers about potential impacts on beneficial predator insects when integrating botanical pesticides into pest management programs.

This guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, examines climate-related challenges facing perennial fruit and nut growers, including drought, flooding, frost timing shifts, inadequate chilling hours, and extreme heat. It outlines four key strategies for building resilience — diversification into new cultivars and species, water stewardship, soil building through organic matter improvement, and adoption of appropriate technology and policy.

This guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, addresses food safety considerations for farms integrating livestock grazing into vegetable production systems. It outlines FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements and USDA National Organic Program interval standards for raw manure, and illustrates practical implementation through a case study of a certified organic Colorado farm.

This guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, explains how five soil health principles — protecting the soil surface, minimizing disturbance, maintaining plant diversity, keeping live roots in the soil year-round, and integrating livestock — improve water infiltration and storage capacity. It connects soil organic matter levels to measurable water-holding benefits, and emphasizes that investing in soil health is a practical strategy for managing drought and flooding.

This guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, evaluates greenhouse and hoop house design elements for extending the growing season in cold climates. Using Typical Meteorological Year data for Butte, Montana as a case study, it analyzes how solar orientation, glazing materials, air infiltration, and perimeter insulation affect heat gain and loss, demonstrating that an efficient hoop house design can extend the typical cold-climate growing season.

This guide, published by ATTRA NCAT, covers the biology, habitat needs, and crop pollination value of native bees. It provides practical guidance for farmers on assessing and enhancing on-farm pollinator habitat, minimizing pesticide impacts, creating artificial nest sites, and identifying common native bee species, emphasizing that supporting diverse native pollinators is both an ecological and economic asset for agricultural operations.

This guide, produced by ATTRA NCAT, examines the nutritional role of forages in pastured poultry production for both meat and egg quality. It covers vitamins, minerals, protein, energy, and fiber contributions from pasture plants and insects, discusses factors affecting forage palatability and consumption, and offers practical guidance on utilizing existing pastures, establishing poultry-friendly swards, and protecting pasture from overuse.

This tipsheet, produced by ATTRA NCAT, outlines essential biosecurity practices for pastured poultry producers. Learn about raising healthy chicks from certified sources, maintaining sanitation in brooders and on pasture, managing wildlife and feed access, controlling visitor foot traffic, and responding promptly when birds show signs of illness, emphasizing that prevention is always more cost-effective than treating a diseased flock.